Thoughts on the Gospel of John (70) - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2023

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. Therefore some of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others said, How can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, What do you say about him because he opened your eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
John 9:13-17.

Thoughts on the Gospel of John (70)
Instead of rejoicing with the beggar over his healing, the neighbours took him to the Pharisees. They evidently wanted to know how the law assessed the matter.

The Pharisees could not deny that the man had received his sight. But they raised objections, because the miracle had been performed on the Sabbath. Although the sign clearly proved that Jesus had come from God, the Pharisees rejected Him because of their prejudices. They had no sense of what illness, poverty or need meant, nor of their own depravity. Some even dared to protest. Presumably Nicodemus was there, the Pharisee who had once come to Jesus by night with his questions. He had already once pleaded for a fair judgment (cf. ch. 3 & 7:50.51).

The man born blind now himself declared that Jesus was “a prophet”, and therefore sent by God. The more he stood for the truth that he acknowledged, the more he grew in his recognition of Christ, and the less the world accepted him. He received more “light”, whereas the enemies of Jesus sank further into darkness.

(to be continued next Sunday)

Today’s reading: The Song of Solomon 8:1-14 · Mark 9:38-50